Newport County return to cup action as they face off against AFC Wimbledon this Saturday (8 August) at The Cherry Red Records Stadium.
The Exiles will be looking to better their record last season after being knocked out in the first round of the EFL Cup after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Millwall.
Last time out, County suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Dons as Josh Kelly and Romaine Sawyers secured the win despite Oli Greaves’ late goal.
The Opposition
Wimbledon narrowly escaped relegation last season as they finished in 19th place with 53 points, four points off relegation.
The Dons were also knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round after losing 2-0 to National League side Gateshead but did reach the second round of the EFL Cup but were eliminated by Reading.
The League One side competed in five pre-season friendlies in which they beat Charlton and Sutton United whilst drawing to Norwich. However, the Dons did lose to Wealdstone and Queens Park Rangers (QPR).
The History
AFC Wimbledon was founded on the 30th May 2002 by supporters of the original Wimbledon FC.
Despite only restarting two decades ago, the club have made rapidly risen through the rankings as they made it out of the Combined County Leagues in 2004 and the Isthmian Leagues in 2008.
Success continued as they won the Conference South in 2009 and eventually reached the Football League in 2011 after defeating Luton Town in the National League play-off final.
The Dons became the first club to reach the EFL that was founded in the 21st century.
Since promotion, Wimbledon have not lost their EFL status and have had multiple seasons in League One and League Two.
Wimbledon have also since returned to Plough Lane, where they beat MK Dons for the first time in their stadium in 2024 and have also achieved their League One status for a second time.
The Manager
Johnnie Jackson is the current Wimbledon manager, where he has achieved much success at the club.
Since joining in 2022, Jackson has managed to win promotion with the Dons as they defeated Walsall 1-0 in the playoff final in the 2024-25 season.
Before joining Wimbledon, the Englishman also had a managerial spell at Charlton Athletic and won 9 out of 13 games as permanent manager.
The Dons manager also had a lengthy playing career, notably at Charlton and Colchester United, but also played for Tottenham, Notts County and Watford.
Ones To Watch
Marcus Browne had his highest scoring campaign during the 2025-26 season as he scored 14 goals in all competitions. Browne will also have a new strike partnership as former Port Vale striker Jayden Stockley will play alongside him.
Steve Seddon is another dangerous player who will look to cause danger on the left-hand side of the field. The full-back had eight assists in all competitions and ranked third highest in League One in chances created.